The present invention relates to a muzzle brake for a gun barrel. More particularly, the present invention relates to a muzzle brake which is attached coaxially onto the muzzle end of a gun barrel up to a radially extending annular abutment, and which is provided with gas discharge openings arranged transversely to the axis of the bore over its lateral length region and having a minimum opening length at the rear end of the muzzle brake.
A muzzle brake of the above type is disclosed in "Militartechnik" (Military Technology), No. 6/74, page 250, FIGS. 4 and 5. This publication discloses gas discharge openings which have a forward deflecting surface, or baffle, and a rearward guide surface which are parallel and are oriented at an undefined angle obliquely toward the rear. No mention is made as to which angular range of the baffle causes the maximum reduction of the recoil energy of a gun barrel to be realized during the firing of a spin stabilized projectile. This publication also discloses the arrangement of the gas discharge openings in positions transverse to the axis of the gun barrel with different lengths from the rear end of the effective portion of muzzle brake in an ascending manner up to the very front. In this way it is possible, on the one hand, to reduce the sound pressure and the muzzle flash, but, on the other hand, the recoil energy of the gun barrel is reduced in an unfavorable manner.
Additionally, this muzzle brake does not have a through-going internal bore but has widened portions in the region of the discharge openings which go beyond the inner diameter of the barrel. During passage of a projectile, the gas pressure existing in the region of the widened portions is reduced very quickly within the gun barrel so that no further, or possibly only a very slight, increase in the velocity of the projectile can be realized in the effective region of the muzzle brake.
When employed in a large-caliber gun barrel, the above-described muzzle brake still requires an additional stable securing mechanism. It may be secured against rotation, similarly to the muzzle brake disclosed in German published patent application No. DE 3,203,807 Al, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,767, by a key engaging in the groove in the gun barrel in the region of the thread portion enclosing the gun barrel, with the muzzle brake previously having been tensioned by a locknut as shown in FIG. 1 of the present application and the key having been secured in a complicated manner against radial loosening.
However, the process of tensioning the locknut pushes the threaded portion forward within its tolerance range so that a gap is created between the forward end surface of the gun barrel and the radial stop surface of the muzzle brake. Through this gap, various materials, for example propellant gases and moisture, may adversely influence the service life of an inserted elastomer seal, which may result in consequential damage due to corrosion in the fastening region of the muzzle brake.